Soligor 28mm f2.8 C/D - vintage lens review

Soligor was a supplier of photographic equipment based in the United States and Germany, active mostly between the ‘60s and the early ‘90s. They had a very comprehensive catalog of lenses, made in Japan by manufacturers like Tokina and Tamron, covering a wide array of focal lengths and they were available for all major camera brands.

Soligor lenses were also sold under alternative brand names like Hanimar, Porst or Super Carener, in different geographical areas.

From my research, the 28mm 2.8 alone has at least 21 different versions, so chances are that yours looks different than mine.

Specifically, the one I own is part of the C/D line released in the mid-1970s as a premium line of lenses.

The Soligor 28mm is made out of metal, it weights 200g, it is 33mm long when focused to infinity and 37mm when extended, with a 49mm front thread.

The iris has six blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f2.8 to f22

The focusing ring is rubberized and it turns 180 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 30cm.

It came in many mounts for different brands, this one has a Pentax K mount.

Sharpness wide open is pretty good in the center and the edges are softer without losing much detail. Stopping down to f8 it gets sharp all over the frame, with just a bit of fuzziness in the corners

Colors are neutral, pleasant and true to life, with nice saturation and contrast without being too punchy.

Only a hair of chromatic aberration can be spotted on high contrast areas when shooting wide open.

Out of focus areas are soft and don’t feel busy like most 28mm lenses. Boke balls are small, like all lenses of this kind, and have harder edges.

When shooting directly into a source of light it produces big rainbow flares at 2.8, and more controlled and pleasant bluish flares stopping down. Ghosting and loss of contrast haven’t been a problem.

I also did a quick comparison between the Soligor and the Canon FD 28mm f2.8. The Soligor produces warmer tones and has more contrast, while the Canon is a little bit sharper.

Soligor lenses are cheap and easy to find, but often overlooked; I am guilty of that myself. Yet, they once more prove that third party lenses are not necessarily bad and can often compete with big brands in both build and image quality.

What about you, do you own or have you ever tried a Soligor? Let me know!